Finished it up tonight. Very short and sweet little game. I'll go drop a review on the Store page.

I never did find the magic though - it's referenced in the controls, so I guess it's implemented. I never found enough of the hidden gold to buy the ring in the first town either; maybe it would have let me cross the rivers to the final statue?

Hi,

SPOILER ALERT

The magic talent is acquired by completing a simple quest, where you need to pay your respects to the five magic spirits and Morrigan, Goddess of Witchcraft. Just visit the temple hidden among the mountains and talk to the priest to start the quest -- it's pretty straightforward if you explore the world to find all five statues. Once you're done, return to the temple, pay your respects to Morrigan, then talk to the priest again.

The ring exists as a helper item to slightly boost your combat abilities in case you die at the final boss, lose all medicine, and find yourself struggling.

It gives a slight boost to your strength, block chance, and health regeneration.

Oh, thanks for the info. I did not realize this, too, and expacted it gave another ending...